Fullmetal Alchemist: A New Beginning
by Betaflame
Summary: Ed and Al just returned to a normal life. A life with a peaceful beginning. But one day, Ed falls from a ladder. Just a ladder, you say? It actually hurts you know. But, there's something more serious than just a bump on the head. Now, he must save the world, again, perhaps not even for the last time. His life had a peaceful beginning. But will it have a peaceful end?
1. The Beginning

**This is my first fanfic! I'm so excited! Please read! XD**

Ed was hammering on a nail on the roof. Ever since he lost his ability to use alchemy, he'd had to fix everything by hand: The door, the wooden floor, and even the roof. And sometimes it was just too much. Ed sighed, his voice tinged with weariness. The only upside to losing his alchemy was that Al was in this world, soul and body. Ed smiled. He loved seeing how alive his brother was, and he especially loved seeing Al try out new things. Since Al had never eaten before, he always stuffed himself at mealtimes, trying out new flavors. He'd even tried a new flavor of bread Winry had made, though he threw up right after doing so. Winry wouldn't talk to Al for days after that event.

But sometimes, Ed just wasn't ready yet, to accept his fate. A life with no alchemy. Then what of the hours he had spent? What of the days, years, time he had used—all for a life with nothing he had spent laboring over.

Ed stopped hammering on the godforsaken nail, which somehow never made it in the roof. He would have to do the job later. He gazed at the horizon on the roof. "_Well," _he thought, "_not everything is so bad about this after all." _He had spent half an hour already gazing in the sunset, when Al came up. "What are you thinking about?" Al asked.

"Nothing," Ed said. "Just wondering how my life will go after… Y'know, the whole event with the homunculi."

"Then that's not nothing," Al teased, as he smiled at his brother. Ed gave a quick smile back, before finally taking up his hammer, and hammering the nail in the roof with a final smash.

"Don't break the roof!" Winry shouted. She was standing outside, watching them.

"W-when did you get here?!" Ed spluttered, perturbed at the thought of Winry becoming a stalker.

"Just now!" Winry shouted. "Don't go thinking I'm a stalker either, otaku!"

Ed and Al sweatdropped. Winry knew him so well.

"Dinner is ready! Hurry up and come down, you alchemy otaku!" Winry shouted.

"Alright, alright," Ed sighed. But secretly, he was smiling. Things would be as they always had been, before the attempt on human transmutation had started. Before the very thing Ed regretted the most had even been done.

Al hopped down the ladder. "Woo hoo!" he shouted, as he reached the bottom. "What's for dinner today?"

Ed followed in pursuit, his job with the roof done. He went down the ladder, step by step. But somehow, his foot slipped. "Whoa!" he shouted, before crashing down to the ground. Then, everything became black.

Ed blearily opened his eyes. He groaned. Somehow, this place gave him the creeps. All he could see was white, white, and more white. "_Where am I?_" he wondered. He only knew of one place that was purely white. But that couldn't be. He'd lost his ability to do alchemy. He hadn't even made a human transmutation circle.

"**_Hello there_**," said a smiling face. The face was completely blank; no eyes, nose or ears. But, there were teeth. And they were stretched in a wide grin. Ed knew that face. He froze in place, as if all time had stopped.

Ed paled, the blood leaving his face. "You," he managed to say, before his jaw stopped working; his eyes widening.

"**_How has time treated you?_**" Truth asked, in a sitting position. Truth got up, still smiling. "**_Now, I do believe I have something to talk to you abou__t._**"

**Please comment or review! Thanks for reading! This was very short, because I wanted it to end with him meeting Truth. Thanks again! The next chapter will be more... interesting, so read on folks!**


	2. The Truth

**Start of a new chapter! Though don't blame me if this one is short too, 'cause I think I finished this in about an hour… Equivalent Exchange! Quantity over content. Let's just say I like dramatic endings, and have a hard time deciding where to stop. I noticed other fanfics have disclaimers, so I'll put one too:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Fullmetal Alchemist, whatsoever. This fanfic is created as to fulfill my own desires of a different ending.**

Truth turned serious. "**_As I said before, I am God , World, Universe. I am One, I am All, and I am, most importantly, You. But there are some things beyond what I have. Edward, I am You. Or at least, a part of you. And I am not alone. There are legions of "Truths" out there. Everyone has a 'Truth' within them, a part of them; it is only a matter of whether the person wishes to see their 'truth'. You, your brother have separate 'Truths'. But, they all protect gates. And they all uphold the Law of Equivalent Exchange. I am your 'Truth' inside of you. Do you understand? Everyone has a separate Truth within them."_**

"Why are you telling me this?" Ed demanded.

Truth shifted his head sideways. "**_I need you to do something for me. A favor._**"

"And why would I do it for _you_?" Edward asked calmly, although a threatening tone was sneaking into his voice.

Truth smiled, his teeth gleaming. "**_Equivalent Exchange. If you do this favor for me, I'll give you back your Gate. In fact, I'll even give you more. After all, your life is definitely worth something._**

Ed considered. He had never thought that this would happen. He did want his Gate back. After all, who wouldn't want their legs given back? Alchemy had given him strength to stand. It had given him a hope that he would be able to recover his missing limbs. It was a chance. But, it had also given him a life with despair. And judging what Truth said, if he failed, he would die. There was no other alternative. But the real question was: Did he really want to go back? Live the life or hunt or be hunted? Live a life of killing and murder? Even if it meant he would gain everything he lost, he could lose more. _Winry. __Al. Everyone._ But it didn't matter whether he lost them, because he had a feeling that if he didn't do this "favor" they would be lost anyway. And he at least wanted to stand up for his family. For his friends. At least a chance, than no chance at all.

"I'll… take you up on your offer," Ed said, with a new, fierce determination.

"**_A brave one aren't you? Volunteering before you even know what you're going to do. I suppose bravery is said to be one of your more redeeming features."_**

"Just get on with what the favor is," Ed said, his voice tinged with curiosity. After all, not many things can make "God" ask for a favor. It just didn't happen.

Or more like, it didn't happen often.

"**_There has been a Truth run astray. The human has offered it something it cannot turn down. Or actually, it's something the Truth doesn't WANT to turn down._**"

"What is that?"

"**_Power_**," Truth replied grimly. "**_To rule the world. To play God. The very thing he was there to uphold. He should have known better. An idiotic Truth."_**

"_**If a wild Truth gets in charge of a person, think of the possibilities. The Law of Equivalent Exchange wouldn't be upheld. And, the Truth would be easily swayed from its duties, just as that rogue Truth is now. This is why we try to avoid special circumstances like this.**"_

"Makes sense." Although Ed said that, it didn't make sense at all to him. After all, wasn't every Truth's objective to uphold The Law of Equivalent Exchange?

"**_Although I called him idiotic_**," Truth continued. "**_Do not underestimate him. When I said idiotic, I meant his level of loyalty and faithfulness of following the main objective of being a Truth: To uphold the Law of Equivalent Exchange._**"

"You knew this rogue Truth," Ed said, not as a question, but as a statement.

"Yes." Truth said. "**_He was the most cunning Truth there. Although his grades were horrendous, he was cunning. Cunning, and he also has the ability to use his cunning. A dangerous mix._**"

"_**Truths are asking their own humans to do this favor. Most have declined, due to the danger. Some have accepted. You will be put into a team with other people. You must cooperate, and they must do the same. The reason I asked you to do this favor is because I believed you could do it.**_"

"And what is the favor? What do you want me to do?"

"**_I want you to hunt down the rogue Truth, along with the human_**." Truth said. "**_Of course, with my help_**."

**How was my disclaimer? Nice huh? Took me a few minutes to decide XD. Did you like the story? Please comment, review, follow, or favorite! Even just viewing is good for me too :D. I think it's actually better to write a fanfic than read one. Reading it, you wait ages for the next release. Writing it, you know exactly what's going to happen. On that cheery note, ta-ta for now!**


	3. A New Start

Ed's eyes fluttered open. Winry and Al were hovering over him.

"Heh," Al said, teasingly. "The guy who saved the world can trip on a ladder too!"

"What the heck did you think you were doing?!" Winry spluttered over him. "I was worried about you!"

"Stop spitting on a poor old man that still has yet to eat dinner," Ed mumbled. His mind was still tangled with the thoughts of what he had just experienced.

Of course, Winry hit him with a wrench.

That night, at dinner, the meal was surprisingly quiet. Of course Al wolfed down anything he could see, but today, he chewed quietly.

Ed fidgeted. He just had to tell them the news. But somehow, he couldn't do it. He couldn't risk dragging them all into danger.

_"__**Are you going to tell them or not?**__" _A voice in his head asked. "Don't rush me." Ed said aloud. Winry, Al, and Granny Rockbell looked at him strangely.

"Whaar?" Al asked, his mouth full of food.

Ed blushed. "Nothing," he mumbled.

_"__**You sure sound like an idiot.**__"_ The voice said again. It sounded like the person was smirking.

"_Great, I'm going delusional." _Ed thought, rolling his eyes.

**_"Aw, I'm hurt. Don't you recognize me?"_**

Ed sweatdropped. He knew that voice.

"_Hello Truth._" He thought. "_You've grown much more sarcastic than when I first met you._"

"**_I'm beginning to take a personality_**," Truth said, his voice echoing in Ed's head. "**_Call it a development of a character_**."

"_You don't have a character_!" Ed thought, with both annoyance and humor.

"_Anyway, I don't think I'm going to tell them. It's too dangerous. They could get caught up into another mess again, just like last time. I don't want to lose them. I don't ever want to lose them, again. They mean the world to me. I love my family, the only family I have left. I want to keep them safe. I'll tell them I'm going to go on a trip. A long trip. And I don't want any visits. But now's not the time to say it. Maybe tomorrow_." Ed's eyes were getting misty. He rubbed his eyes. Everyone stared at him in silence, taking small bites of food.

"**_OK_**," Truth said. "**_It's not any of my business anyhow. My job is to get you to take care of the rogue Truth, along with the human he has partnered up with._**"

"**_Oh, and by the way, I've already given you back your Gate. Think of it as partial payment in advance, or something that'll help you to survive to capture the Truth, and benefit me along the way. I have already taken received something as well for the Equivalent Exchange: Your promise to track down the rogue Truth._**"

Ed smiled excitedly. He had missed doing alchemy. "Excuse me," he said. Al and Winry stared at him as he put his chair in, took his dishes to the sink, and left through the front door. Granny Rockbell's glasses gleamed, but still, her face pointed toward her food; her soup left untouched.

Ed stood in the yard. It was a big wide space, with lots of grass. He grinned. _Oh, this would be _fun.

"**_Yes, it will be interesting to see how you well you can practice alchemy, and how much you'll mess up_**." Truth said, his grin almost visible.

Ed groaned. He had forgotten about Truth. It was going to be a pain in the neck to have a…. _thing_ that could read your thoughts.

"**_Excuse me_**?" Truth said, a smirk in his voice.

_Oops._

Ed thought about what to make. It had been a while since he last practiced, so he couldn't make anything big, or dangerous. And, it had to be somewhat light.

Ed made a circle with his hands. He slammed his hands into the ground, creating a crude spear with his newfound ability. It was designed to look like the same spear he had made for the State Alchemist Exam. Ed sighed.

"Well, this is as good as it's gonna get," he said. Suddenly, he felt eyes on him. Two pairs, in fact.

"_**The back left of you**_," Truth said, warily.

"_Well, at least Truth didn't know everything. He didn't know who was behind them_." Ed thought, gathering his strength to throw the spear at the back left of him, turning with precision.

"Kyaaa!" Ed heard Winry's voice.

"Winry?" He asked, afraid to look.

"And Al! What are you guys doing here?" Ed asked, raising his head to look, his surprise mingling with his voice.

Al looked nervous. Perhaps even scared. Who wouldn't be? He had just seen the impossible become possible.

"Um, we... we were just coming to check up on you. Is that… Is that what I think it is?" Al asked, pointed toward the now shattered spear, the dust scattering in the dirt.

Ed dropped his head. He wasn't planning on telling them. "I… yeah." Ed was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to tell them the truth, but he didn't want to lie to them either.

"I… got my alchemy powers back. And…I need to go on a trip for a while," Ed said. His voice was asking, even pleading them not to ask any further, his eyes not meeting theirs. All he could think was: He had to keep them safe. No more fighting, or wars, or homunculi. No more violence. He wanted them to live a good life. Not completely together though. Ahem. Winry was… his. Ed blushed, despite the conversation he was trying to start.

Al and Winry, thankfully, didn't budge into the situation anymore. Winry gave him a smile, and asked "I know you don't want us to go into the problem. But I just want to know if you're going to be safe."

Ed raised his head to meet their eyes. And, as truthfully as possible, he said a strong "Yes."

Winry smiled at him. "Then that's all I could ever ask for, Ed. Thank you."

Al smiled a little at him. "Be careful. Trouble tends to look for you."

Ed laughed. So far, it was true.

Granny Rockbell slid from behind a tree.

"Since when have you been there?!" Ed asked, his eyeballs popping out from their sockets. Winry and Al's eyes popped out too.

"Long enough," Granny Rockbell said, giving Ed a big smile. "I heard about the trip. Follow your dreams, boy! Keep safe. We'll all miss you."

"Thanks," Ed mustered. He gave them a big smile. "I'll miss all of you guys too!"

**MORNING**

"Goodbye everyone!" Ed yelled. He had packed what few things he wanted to bring along the night before.

"See ya Ed!" Al shouted.

"Stupid alchemy otaku, don't be in danger" Winry shouted. She seemed to be shedding some tears, but Ed couldn't be absolutely sure.

"Don't forget to visit!" Granny Rockbell said, her eyes full of kindness.

"I won't!" Ed shouted back. He was going to leave once more.

"_What do we do first?"_ Ed thought.

"**_First,"_** Truth said back. " **_There are others like you. Those who have accepted the quest. After all, you can't do it alone. The rogue Truth, along with his partnered human, are tough. The Truth is powerful, and has unlimited knowledge about alchemy. The human has connections, resources, money, power, and even fame. He is raising an army of rebellious alchemists. So, of course, we Truths have paired a team together."_**

"_Where to?"_

Somehow, Ed knew Truth smiled. "**_To Central City!_**"


	4. New Friends

**Hello there! Thanks for the support! (I have more than zero followers—an accomplishment for me!) Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! It may not be well versed in Fullmetal Alchemist elements though, because I am depending on the Fullmetal Alchemist wiki to help me out with the information. I mean, it's reliable, but… not as reliable as the real thing ^.^…but It's been a while since I read Fullmetal Alchemist. And I'm too lazy to read it again. With that little tidbit, please enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.**

It had been a while since Ed's last visit to Central City. He looked all around, looking at new buildings he didn't recognize, and even started gazing at new products that were being made in some stores.

"**_Geez_**," Truth said; a tiny spark of irritation in his voice. "**_If you wanted to window shop, you should've done it before I asked you on this mission. But now, we have to head to the othe_**rs."

"_Where are they, anyway_?" Ed asked, looking around. He had seen no one out of place, everything seemed perfectly normal.

"Over in that café over there," Truth said bluntly, making Ed swivel his head to face a large café, with "**Alisa's Café,**" on it, and a large painted coffee cup next to the sign that had wavy lines above it.

"_What?!_" Ed half shouted in his head. It would attract too much attention. It was too conspicuous.

"**_Hiding something in plain sight is sometimes the best place to hide it_**," Truth reminded Ed, almost seeming to wag an index finger at him.

"Yeah, whatever," Ed said aloud. And while people stared at him like he was crazy, he walked into Alisa's Café.

It was roomy. It was also sort of cold, even though the sun was beating down outside, the air conditioning giving Ed a chill. "_Which table_?" Ed asked Truth, looking for the people he would soon work with.

"**_The one on the right, in the back_**," Truth said. "**_Can't you feel it_**?"

Ed could. He could feel the presences of nearby alchemists, though he wasn't sure why.

"**_It's because we made a pact; more of an unspoken alliance with each other_**," Truth said. "**_You have promised me to lend all of your power to defeat the Truth, while I, in return, will help you to the best of my ability. You are receiving some of what I can do—And that is finding other alchemists that have already met their Truths._**"

"_Nice fun fact_," Ed thought, while sitting down at the table Truth had specified. His jaw suddenly dropped.

Roy Mustang was sitting at the table, along with Ling Yao, and three other people he didn't know. Both were wearing the usual: Roy a three-piece suit, matched with a black tie, and Ling, wearing the usual: a golden shirt with a decoration of white flames at the cuffs and edges.

"Roy? Why aren't you in your uniform? And Ling, I thought you went back to Xing?"

Their eyes lit up in recognition and surprise.

"Hey Fullmetal, never thought you'd be here," Roy said, giving a smile to Ed. "I mean, normally people would think you already had too much trouble. Am I wrong?"

"Ed!" Ling said, with a delighted smile on his face. "Where's Al?"

"I..uh…," Edward mumbled. "I left him at home." _Home_. Ed wasn't sure he'd ever say the word again, for it left an empty feeling in him.

Ling's smile dropped. "You didn't tell him any details."

Ed could only nod his head.

"Hm," a girl at the table said, sipping a cup of tea. She was one of the people who Ed had never seen before. She wore a black dress, with ribbons in her hair, and lace at the dress. She had long, straight black hair, with bangs blocking her forehead. There was a small pet mammal that looked like a small wolf on her shoulder, but Ed was never an expert with animals. Her eyes were the most interesting. They were gray, with spots of purple in it. But even Ed knew purple and gray were NOT normal eye colors.

"It looks like we're all here," the girl continued, smiling. "Let's do this the easy way: We'll go in a circle, clockwise direction, and say our name, and some little fun facts for an introduction."

"I'll go first," an unfamiliar boy piped up. He was about the same age as Ed, maybe even a little younger. He had sandy hair that was shorter than Ed's, and was swept to the side. He had a face with no blemishes, and clear blue eyes. He wore overalls, over a T-shirt, and wore working boots; the kind you use on a farm. His skin was clearly suntanned, and his smile was blinding.

"I'm Dagner," The boy announced, "William Dagner. People call me Will. Pleased to meet you all. I do Mechanic Alchemy. That means I use alchemy to build machines, tools, and even robots that'll fight. I really like teddy bears. And lollipops. I'm the kinda guy you'd look for, if you were looking for a country boy mechanic."

Ed gaped. Winry would LOVE this guy. He couldn't let her near him.

"I'm Alisa," the girl with the black dress spoke. "I use Dark Energy Alchemy." Her eyes looked like they were glowing with happiness. "I'll tell you guys later how I use it, if you guys are interested. I like tea, teacups, sugar, and honey," Her eyes gleamed, as though she was thinking about something else that she liked. Something that everyone got a bad feeling from. Ed shuddered. He did NOT want to get on her bad side.

"And also," Alisa continued, "I like dolls and stuffed animals, the cute kind."

While Alisa blatantly blushed, the rest of the group looked at her with amazed eyes. Who could've known she liked kids' toys?

"I'm the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang," Roy said, smiling. "I'm pretty sure you all know who I am. A State Alchemist. I, as you can tell by my title, use Flame Alchemy."

"Where's the fun fact?" Will asked, recognition lighting in his eyes as he stared at the person in front of him.

"I use Flame Alchemy," Roy repeated.

Will pouted. "Aw, that's it?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Break it up," Alice said, annoyed, her hands cupped around her chin, making a support for her head. "Let the guy over there do some introducing."

"I'm Ling Yao," Ling said. "The 12th crown prince of Xing. I like combat fighting, personally, more than using alchemy."

"These guys," Ling said, gesturing to Ed and Roy, "don't know, but when I went back to my country, I picked up some alchemy. But I still like using hand-to-hand combat better. Oh, and I used to inhabit the homunculus called Greed."

"But what's the fun fact?" Will asked, yet again.

"I used to inhabit the homunculus called Greed." Ling repeated.

"Che…," Will said, sulking some more. "That's it?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Ling imitated, copying Roy's voice almost perfectly.

"Oh shut up! Vulgar, impolite, crude, MEN!" Alisa shouted at them, as if "men" was the worst insult possible.

Another girl sat at the table as well. She raised her hand a few inches, timidly, and said "Um, my introduction please."

Everyone quieted down. The girl had an effect like that. She had curls of blond hair, cascading behind her back like a waterfall. She had calm, green and blue eyes, like the sea. She had a polite smile, and wore a formal dress that looked like it cost 1,000,000 Cenz.

Ed's eyes popped out. "It can't be that your family is wealthy, is it?"

"Well," the girl pondered, wondering what to say. "My parents are sort of… rich? My family is considered to be the upper middle class."

You could almost see the money signs where Ed's eyes should've been.

"Yes, well," the girl continued. "My name is Emma. It's nice to meet you all. I don't have a particular alchemy type so far, but I'm working on a certain technique that is not fully complete. I like ribbons, lace, and dolls. It is my utmost dream world peace come true."

Will whistled. "A girl with big ambitions like you will make it far."

It was now Ed's turn. He sweat as everyone's eyes turned to face him.

"My name's Edward Elric," Edward said, in a too-loud voice.

Oops.

"I… have no particular style of alchemy," he said. "I don't need a transmutation circle, though."

Ed paused, not sure of what to say.

Will just stared at him, and said "Wow, aren't you short?"

Ed's eyes flared up. He spun Will easily in the air, using both hands.

"Did you call me short?! As in, MIDGET? As in, HALF-PINT-SHORTY-MIDGET?"

Ed threw Will to the ground.

The others sweat dropped.

"Remind me not to get on his bad side," Will muttered, whispering among the rest of the group, so as not to anger Ed.

Alisa just jumped up, and said cheerfully "Let's come up with codenames! Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I'll be the Amethyst Alchemist," Alisa said, with a big smile on her face. "It sounds fitting, right?"

"Then I'll be the Ruby Alchemist," Roy said, with a smirk planted on his face.

Ling smiled. "I'll be the Emerald Alchemist."

Will's eyes pointed toward the ceiling, thoughtfully. "Well then, I'll be the Garnet Alchemist, I guess."

Emma smiled gracefully. "I'll be the Citrine Alchemist. Though a bit... stuffy, it fits the color scheme, yes?"

Everyone looked at Ed, who had yet to come up with a name.

"Are you going to use the codename 'Fullmetal Alchemist'?" Roy asked, with a knowing smile in his look. He knew what was coming.

Ed looked at the red cloak he wore. He took the fabric off, and gripped it in his hands. He lifted his eyes.

"**_You know_**," Truth said. "**_You can always give stuff to me to hold. I can always keep stuff safe_**."

For some reason, Ed trusted him. Truth had never done a single wrong thing to him before. He may have taken his leg, and arm (though that was taken back), but he had never done harm to Elric without reason. He was fair.

"I'm counting on you," Ed thought, as he flung the red cloak above him. The cloak disappeared. Ed knew Truth was smiling.

The rest of the people looked in surprise.

"Wha—," Will tried to say, but the words wouldn't come out.

Ed grinned. He wasn't tied down by anything, not the military, not his former teacher, not even by Winry and Al, which he had left back home.

"My code name will be…," Ed said, with a confident grin.

"The Sapphire Alchemist."

**Sorry about the confusing gems, guys! I searched online, and it turns out it's really hard to find orange and yellow gems! But, I got it all sorted out with this website:**

** . **

**By the way, Roy is Red, Will is Orange, Emma is Yellow, Ling is Green, Ed is Blue, and Alisa is Purple (in case you're wondering)**

**I decided to make Ed blue, well, because blue is the opposite of red. This is a new beginning, right? Then it's gotta be written like one. ;D**


	5. This is where it starts

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FMA

Ed fingered cloth he had found at a shop. It was a deep blue color, like the sea. Ed fished out the money he had out of his pocket.

"500, 1000, 1500, 2000..," Ed counted. He had 2308 Cenz. It wasn't much, but it was all he'd brought. Since he was no longer a State Alchemist, he had to earn his money. But money wasn't a big issue. If he really had to, he would work in one of the shops that decorated the street. There were thousands of them; and at least one was bound to need a helping hand.

Ed remembered what had happened in the café.

_After he had announced he was becoming the Sapphire Alchemist, Roy and Ling grinned. Alisa was not surprised at all; only her face remained stone-still. Will was still bug-eyed at how his red cloak had disappeared. And Emma had laughed in joy, at the group at last being established._

_"We shall try to find allies where we can," Roy said, his face turning serious. "But, alchemists are already uncommon; alchemists who have seen Truth and invited on the mission are even more unlikely."_

_Alisa, who loved naming things, said "Yes, what shall this group be called?"_

_A very annoyed Roy stood up. "Hey, did you just hear what I just—"_

_"The Alchemists!" Will said excitedly, his knowledge lacking how to properly name things._

_"Stupid!" Ling said. "Let's call ourselves the Royal Group!" His vocabulary was not complex enough to name something properly as well._

_Ed shouted up. "Let's call ourselves the Awesome-Gargantuan-Astronomical-Alchemist Group!"_

_Although Ed had the vocabulary, his brain was too tiny to name things._

_"OY!" Roy yelled. "Did anyone hear what I just-!"_

_"Let's," Emma said quietly. "Just order something more than a cup of tea first. The manager is starting to get angry."_

_Ed's head looked up. The manager was hiding behind a corner, glaring at them with intense eyes. _

_Ed sweatdropped. He didn't have enough money. Most of his money, from before, came from State Alchemist funds. _

_"Now," Emma said. "Why don't we just call ourselves Guildam de Veritatis?"_

_"Hm," Ed wondered. "Is that a different language?"_

_"Yes," Emma said, smiling. "It shows the beauty in all of you." She grinned even wider._

Ed sighed. Everyone had gone along with the name, with no recognition of the language, and its meaning.

They had all decided to split. Ling would go with Will; Alisa would go with Emma. Roy and Ed decided to split, they couldn't bear to see each other' faces daily.

Ed looked out through a window. _Holy cow!_

Sunset was already falling. He had probably been standing here for a few hours already. The shopkeeper was starting to get angry.

"Are you going to buy anything are not?!" He angrily grumbled, staring at Ed.

"Uh, yeah, sorry..." Ed mumbled. "I'll buy this please."

He walked toward the counter, and pushed the roll of cloth he was holding, over it. The shopkeeper walked behind the counter once more, his boots making a creaking sound over the wood floor.

"Ah, this too!" Ed said, as he quickly grabbed a spool of black thread.

"That'll be 1050 Cenz," the shopkeeper said. Ed handed over the money, as the shopkeeper looked for a bag.

"Here ya go," the shopkeeper said. "Thanks for yer patronage."

Ed grabbed the bag, and headed out to the street. He took out the cloth and thread, and transmuted them both. The wind blew his hair up, as a blue cloak formed from the once-was blue cloth. The black thread also disappeared, making a Flamel sign on the back of the cloak.

Ed lifted up the cloak, while it swirled in the wind. He wrapped it around himself.

_This is where it starts!_


	6. A New Companion?

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA**

Ed was traveling down a long, winding road, the sun beating down on him. After getting his cloak yesterday, he had decided to head toward any random direction, and just continue on from there. He had walked until midnight, where he had found a tree, and rested under its gentile shade. In the morning, he picked himself up again, and started on his way. But the sun only grew hotter, and the more Ed walked, the fewer trees there were. Soon, there were no trees; just sand blowing in the wind.

"I'm… thirsty…" Ed mumbled, his mind hazy from the heat. Ed turned his attention to the thing he could quickest concentrate on, which was the ground.

"_Ah, the ground"_ he thought. "_Gravelly, and rocky. Ooh, is that a piece of glass? It glitters in the sunlight. I'm going crazy, aren't I?_"

"**_Oh shut up_**," Truth said. "**_We have to go quickly, or else the Truth will be impossible to find_**!"

"_What's the name of the Truth_?" Ed wondered. "_We can't just keep calling him 'the rogue Truth and his human'. It's too long_. And just calling him the 'Truth' is too generic."

"**_He calls himself Ouroboros. His aim is to wipe out all of the people that have a strong influence on other people first. Which means he's either targeting the military, or the wealthy. There will be a select few that will stand strong by his side as his allies. The rest of the people who do remain, such as farmers, merchants, middle class, will have to follow him under his rule. Ironic, right? Ouroboros is a symbol of unity, yet his goal is anything but."_**

"I didn't ask for a full-out explanation, but I guess I should say thanks."

The first wave of houses and buildings began to appear, the black specs contrasting the grassy land, dotting the edge of the horizon.

"_Could it be a village_?" Ed thought, as his mind attempted to grasp the idea, and what it could mean.

"_And a village means… a supply of water! And a meal!_"

Ed raced down the road as fast as he could. Even though he was sweating, he needed to get liquid. He was down to his last straw.

The looming houses were growing ever larger. It was not a bumbling city, as Ed had thought. There was no one on the streets, except for a mother bringing her crying baby to buy ice-cream. It didn't matter to Ed, though, as he raced into a restaurant that was labeled "_Melby's Food and Drinks_".

"A drink, please! Any will do!" Ed had ordered, sitting as his chair swiveled round and round. It was a large and spacious store. A long table was in front of Ed, and a row of chairs beside him.

The storekeeper, a bumbling large man with an apron, came out, his hands wet from washing dishes.

"Well, whattya know!" The man said in a hearty boom, as he dried off his hands on his apron.

"A customer on a Saturday! I guess I've got me good luck."

"Why are there no customers on Saturdays?" Ed asked, still waiting for his drink. He looked around the restaurant, and it was true, there were no other customers to be found.

The man grabbed a green bottle, and a glass.

"Haven't you heard?" The man said. "On Saturday nights, a beast comes. Some say it has horns, and goat legs. Others say it has fanged teeth, and a lion's body. But they all say it's scary. Business is being scared off nowadays, though, because the beast comes sometimes not just on Saturday nights, but on days as well too now. Some people say they can hear it prowling in an alleyway. But I think it's all nonsense."

The man took the glass, and poured the bottle until it was full, topped with froth.

"There ye go," he said, placing the glass in front of him. "It's good, don't you worry."

Ed took the glass, and tipped it, the liquid pouring down his throat. It was sweet, clear, and fizzy.

Ed smiled. "This is great! And about that beast… Where do you think I can find him?"

The storekeeper's eyes widened.

"You want to see the beast? A boy like you, doing what even grown men is afraid of doing? Don't be rash."

"I'm not a boy," Ed said, a little annoyed.

"Well, I'm sure if you run out there, you're bound to run into him."

"Thanks." Ed gulped down the rest of his drink, fished out a coin, and tossed it to the storekeeper. Then, he turned out, and with the clink of the door's wind chimes, he was out, his hair blowing in the wind.

"_Truth_," Ed asked. "_Lend me your power. I have a weird feeling about this… 'beast_'."

Truth grinned.

All of a sudden, Ed could see exactly where every living thing was. They were hazy white figures, which Ed assumed were humans. Most were in their houses, in the kitchen. Others were doing work, down in their basement, or in their fields. Ed squinted. He could make out a hazy green figure a couple blocks away.

"_That must be it_!" Ed thought, and raced toward it. The green figure didn't move.

"Either it can't hear me coming," Ed reasoned. "Or it's ok with me coming."

He stopped at the entrance of an alleyway, a dark shadow in the corner. It was large, with hair all over its body, and a long spotted tail. It stood up, like a man, on its two hind feet. It's eyes glowed. Ed couldn't see it very well, but he thought he saw its shadows changing, moving.

Ed immediately went to violence, and transmutated a wall that shot from under the creature's feet. It flew into the air. Wings were sprouting from its shoulder blades, but it was too late, and instead only weighed down the creature. When it crashed to the ground, it howled in pain.

The beast shrank. The fur shed off of it, and the tail detached itself. The wings turned to disconnected feathers that settled on the ground. What was left was a small, furry animal. It was white, with large eyes and ears, and a small, pink nose. It also had a long, thin tail. There were new wings, replacing the heavy ones the creature had held before. It was sleeping on the ground, tired of whatever battle Ed had tried to begin.

"What?!" Ed said, a look of surprise flitting on his features. He slowly approached the creature, careful not to wake it. He scooped the small creature up, and placed him in an inside pocket. Then, with a flick of Ed's braid, he had left; moving on to whatever town was next.

**Sorry guys! Since this story is still in its beginning stages, there's not much action. Later will be more, so please don't stop reading :D**


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